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Victoria became Queen at the age of 18 after the death of her uncle, William IV. She reigned for more than 60years.
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Charles Dickens was one of the greatest Victorian novelists.
'Oliver Twist' was, originally published in serial form and brought to public attention contemporary social evils -
The People's Charter advocated democratic reform on the basis of six points
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In 1834, slaves in the British empire started a period of 'apprenticeship', and in 1838, over 700,000 slaves were freed in the British Caribbean.
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London-Birmingham was the first railway line into the capital city. The line precipitated the first of the great railway booms.
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Victoria asked Sir Robert Peel, as leader of the Tory opposition, to form a government. Peel refused to do so.
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Parliament enabled local poor law authorities to provide vaccination at the expense of ratepayers.
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Britain's postal system was expensive, complex and open to abuse.The volume of letters sent in Britain increased five-fold to almost 350 million a year.
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Sir Robert Peel forced a general election after defeating the Whigs on a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons
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In September 1845, the potato crop began to rot all over Ireland.
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Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel resigns after the Corn Laws are repealed
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Opens at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, and was designed to provide a showcase for the world's most advanced inventions, manufactures and works of art.
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Britain and France declare war on Russia and the war was ended by the Treaty of Paris in March 1856.
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Charles Hallé, the pianist and conductor, founded the orchestra which still bears his name.
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Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species' is published. The book created an immediate stir, since Darwin's theory appeared to contradict the bible's creation story.
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Albert's premature death from typhoid plunged Victoria into a long period of mourning during which a republican movement gained popularity.
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Joseph Lister began experiments designed to reduce high hospital mortality rates from septic inflammation. He is regarded as the founder of modern surgical practice.
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William Gladstone headed a Liberal government after defeating Benjamin Disraeli's Conservative government in a general election, and is credited with passing many reforms
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The proposal was fiercely contested by the House of Lords, which considered it 'cowardly' and 'unmanly'.
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It allowed women to acquire and retain any property deemed separate from that of their husband's
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The Local Government Act required all parishes with a population over 300 to elect parish councils.
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Death duties, the predecessor of the present inheritance tax, were proposed by the Liberal chancellor of the exchequer, Sir William Harcourt.
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He established the first transatlantic signal in December 1901. His work inaugurated the 'Wireless Age'.
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The Boers of the Transvaal forced the British government to recognise their independence. But the Boers refused to recognise the rights of the British in the Transvaal.
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And is succeeded by Edward VII. Her death was truly the end of an era.
